The THRILLERFEST CONFERENCE Report

brought to you by Karen Harper

The second annual Thrillerfest Conference, sponsored by International Thriller Writers, was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City from July 12 – 15. A great contingent of Mira Books authors and editors attended. They appeared on various panels, emceed presentations and oversaw programs and awards. Heather Graham even donned black hose and a chorus-line-style tuxedo to sing backup with the Killerettes for the Killer Thriller Band at the banquet the last night. And she sang a duet with author Michael Palmer called “Ode to Pink Slips”—a writer’s rejection of rejections!

Your intrepid reporter for the gathering is Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling Mira author, who was panel master (both moderator and panelist) for a workshop called “Psycho: Thrillers that Haunt You.” In honor of our title, we all began our discussion wearing masks of either Janet Leigh as Marian Crane, (her notorious expression was from the famous screaming shower murder scene) or Tony Perkins as Norman Bates.

Trivia for the day: Janet Leigh authored two Mira books in the 1990’s. I got to meet her at a Mira author party in California where she surprised us by admitting she was nervous to meet us!

On our Psycho panel, we covered such topics as how to get readers into the story and some great ways to surprise, shock and scare them. We also discussed how a scary setting can either be an apparently calm one that lulls you into complacency before danger strikes (after all, JAWS starts with sunny summer beaches; small towns make great noir) or settings which are creepy from the get-go, such as in JURASSIC PARK or a weird mansion as in the classic Gothic romances.

I talked about how well the peaceful Amish countryside worked for my romantic suspense novels, DARK HARVEST and DARK ANGEL. The Amish areas look calm and quaint but the Amish lives isolated lives. With their massive, dark barns and the tall corn fields growing right up to their houses, who knows what is out there which could harm them?

Below are some ThrillerFest tidbits about or by Mira authors and editors:

Miranda Stecyk, Mira editor: “I’m amazed to hear authors talk about the amount of research that is needed for a thriller. I’m also impressed by the sharing and mentoring that goes on among these authors and by their support of debut authors.”

Michelle Gagnon, Mira author of TUNNELS: “I got a lot of good info from M.J. Rose about to blog or not to blog. She’s a master blogger, but she suggested not starting your own unless you have a lot of time, are working with other authors or are very famous. She advised plugging your blog comment in somewhere else for a while. It wasn’t what I thought she was going to say.” M.J. herself is a Mira author. Her thriller THE REINCARNATIONIST will be out this September.

Heather Graham, New York Times bestseller and longtime Mira author: “I use prologues to grab readers. Always start your books with what is most gripping, the big bang, then bring your reader up-to-date.”

New Mira author Rick Mofina was in charge of awards for Best First Novel, since he was a finalist last year. Rick has a long career as a reporter and author. He’s a Canadian who writes like he’s an American. His forthcoming book is A PERFECT GRAVE.

New York Times bestseller Alex Kava was in charge of the awards program and also two panels, one on serial killer stories and one featuring the award nominees. Alex said she “loved the laid-back conference atmosphere, even in busy NYC.”

Longtime Mira author Erica Spindler was also in attendance. A New York Times and international bestseller, she has a Mira book, LAST KNOWN VICTIM, coming in October. Erica was the panel master for a workshop which asked: Do thrillers about child crime cross the line?

Mira author and New Yorker, Jason Pinter, was on a panel which discussed how writers and publishers can work together to attract readers to buy their books.

At the final night awards banquet I sat with Mira staffers Executive Editor Margaret Marbury, editor Linda McFall and new Mira author J.T. Ellison, whose first novel, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, will be out from Mira in Nov. 2007. They all enjoyed the conference’s blend of professionalism and fun.

Margaret was interviewed on the first day of the convention as one of the top thriller editors in the business. Mira published the anthology THRILLER which has contributions from many great thriller writers. The collection is newly out in paperback and the Barnes & Noble on-site store had a lot of copies which were going into a lot of conference bags which bore the logo, MIRA: FICTION AT ITS BEST.

Several attendees flew in from the Dallas Romance Writers of America Conference for the NYC gathering. (Unfortunately, the conferences were the same time this year.) Carla Neggers arrived for the last two days of the Thriller conference—even though her luggage didn’t make it in time. Tara Taylor Quinn, Mira and Harlequin author, was expected but did not make the panel Heather hosted because of travel complications.

My take on the entire Thriller Writers experience was that it was a supportive group of very talented people who love writing and value their readers. And NYC was a great venue because so many publishing professionals were available to attend. As busy as everyone was at the conference, there was always that attraction of NYC: so many places to see, to eat, and to love in the Big Apple.

And now that the second ThrillerFest is history, we are all inspired and getting back to thinking up something truly thrilling to write....Wait 'til next year!



Karen Harper's recent titles are INFERNO, a short story in MORE THAN WORDS, and HURRICANE. But check out the great offer of THE STONE FOREST, BLACK ORCHID and THE FALLS--all available at an amazing $3.99 price.

THE BIG THRILL COMING TO NYC

Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling Mira author and delightful person, has agreed to report on Thrillerfest, coming up in New York City while I am hanging out on a island in Maine. No comments please!

Karen has been in the Denver area visiting family and researching her next Mira. She just sent me this ThillerFest Preview with some "pre-game" info. Next week, she'll send more information on the event, hopefully with quotes and interviews, if feasible. Margaret Marbury has a digital camera, so we're hoping to get photos as well.... Karen notes:

Quite a few Mira Books thriller/mystery authors are heading to the Big Apple for the 2nd annual ThrillerFest Conference, July 12 - 15. Mira attendees include (sorry if someone's name was inadvertently omitted!) Heather Graham, Alex Kava, M. J. Rose, Jason Pinter, Carla Neggers and Karen Harper. Mira editorial staff attending are Margaret Marbury, Linda McFall and Miranda Stecyk.

Highlights include an all-day Thursday craft fest for writers wanting to learn the basics of thriller writing. Friday (Fri. the 13th--perfect!) through Sunday are panels and presentations such as a Spotlight Guest Presentation with Heather Graham and the following workshops hosted by Mira authors:

--Heather Graham: Sleeping With the Enemy (sex and violence, a precarious balance)

--Karen Harper: Psycho (thrillers that haunt you)

--Alex Kava: The Killing Fields (serial killers in our midst)

There are booksignings galore including a massive autograph session on the last conference day. A banquet with awards is included too.

More details and photos from this "thrilling" event coming later, courtesy of Karen Harper!

A few more things to share....

Don't you think February should be about Vampires as well as Valentines? May 17, 20006, I posted about a new author, Jennifer Armintrout, you can scroll down on the archives to check what I said about Jennifer's first novel, Blood Ties: The Turning. I had loved the proposal--don't think I'd even gotten a copy of the complete book yet!

Less than a year later, and her second is on the stands, check out Blood Ties: Possession. You can read an excerpt on her website. It's a doozy!

Some Amazon.com reader/reviewer comments:
Possessed reader. Peggy Hanchar 5 stars
"I just finished the second in the Blood Ties series and liked it even better than the first....Although I loved the first book, I thought this book had more depth and advanced a better understanding of the characters and what made them what they are.
"The author's flashes of humor always caught me by surprise and made me chuckle outloud. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series to see where these characters evolve.... Kudos to the author and her terrific imagination."

Excellent paranormal romantic thriller. Harriet Klausner 5 stars:
"....The key to the second Blood Ties tale (see BLOOD TIES: THE TURNING) is that readers will believe that vampires and werewolves are real species because the cast is solid and deep. The two subplots consistently intermingle and cross. This leads to an electrifying action-packed story line that contains a strong psychological suspense element yet never slows down until the climax, but the audience will not know what to expect until the final collision."

Five intense hours. LeAnna Rankin 4 stars:
"So I was standing in line at Walmart, wishing to get out of there before I could collect my Social Security, and this book caught my eye. I didn't have much to lose so I started reading it in line. I couldn't put it down when it was my turn and so I bought it. When I got home, I sat down and read it straight through until the end, in just a little under five hours.
"I love the style of writing because it feels like you think right a long with them and the way they speak and interact. I was delighted when I realized it was a series and now I have an excuse to go by another book."

The last of Nora's four movies on Lifetime is out Monday, February 19th. You can check out various Nora/Lifetime and moviebilia on the Nora Roberts' Lifetime website. If you missed them, or don't get Lifetime, you can get them from iTunes. Yes, there's a tutorial on how to download stuff. We'll see how that goes. If not, I'm going to Ask Lorie!

Karen Harper's excellent Publishers Weekly review for her January title, Inferno: "Lauren and Brad are full, appealing characters who are easy to care for, and their growing mutual attraction feels organic and unforced. Harper keeps tension high as the insane villain cleverly evades efforts to capture him. And Harper really shines in the final act, providing readers with a satisfying and exciting denouement." Sara Pearce, aka LitChick, of Cincinnati.com mentions the ever fabulous Harlequin Romance Report and local authors Lori Foster and Karen Harper's titles in her Valentine post.


You have to check out the video of NYMPH KING by Gena Showalter, out in February, 2007. And Gena Showalter is on the February 18th Extended New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists!


THE WINTER LODGE, Book Two of Susan Wiggs Lakeshore Chronicles is on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller lists. Susan also has started her own blog. You can check out the starred Publisher's weekly review of WINTER LODGE, if you need convincing!

Linda Lael Miller's first in the new McKettrick series, MCKETTRICK'S LUCK is out right now with a great PW review!
And PW has starred review of MCKETTRICK'S PRIDE by Linda Lael Miller. HQN Books, coming out in March, 2007. MCKETTRICK'S LUCK is also on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller lists. Not bad, eh?

Did you read Heather Cochran's Red Dress Ink title, MEAN SEASON? I did, and really liked it. Her second is coming out in MIRA in March and is reviewed by PW, titled THE RETURN OF JONAH GREY. Haven't read it, but nice to see PW likes it!


Also in March is Sherryl Woods A SLICE OF HEAVEN if you want to check out the rather nice PW review. It sounds really appealing, and I've signed up to participate in one of those readathon blog post thingys, and the competition is fierce! I have not been reading fast enough and checking out some of these excellent reviews & knowing the authors is really inspiring me to "start my engine!"


This just in--Sherry's , STEALING HOME, out right now, just hit the March 3rd New York Times extended list! What a way to launch the Sweet Magnolias trilogy--Congratulations Sherry!